Stairway to heaven #HillsOverBeaches

I know its lazy title writing so to speak but bear with me.

The first time I ever got to experience a trip to the hills was when I and a couple of my buddies agreed to go to Matheran Hill station(For those who don't know its a popular hill station near Mumbai). It was for the first time I got to experience the panoramic view of the nature that envelops this hill station. So you can either go by taking a small train to the entrance of the hill station from Neral or a cab will drive you through the swift and tricky turns going up towards the hill station. We chose to go by train on the way up and that was when I got to see the beauty of the valley below us as the train twists and turns towards the hill station. You can go to the various points in the hill station to get different perspectives of the area surrounding the hill station and that was the beginning of my love for hill stations and trekking in general.

I recently trekked to Kalsubai peak(which is the tallest peak in Maharashtra) during the monsoon.

I truly cannot justify the beauty of watching the world around you and taking in all the glory of the world and the view that a hill station or a peak provides. Almost to the point where I envy the birds that can see pretty much the whole world. Now some of you might suggest doing the same with a drone :P but to be able to take in the beauty of the world while you can feel the wind brushing against you, that sensation is the one thing in my opinion that comes to being on top of a peak or a hill. It almost makes me want to grow wings and fly away.

A couple of weeks back I was on my way back from Trivandrum(Capital of Kerala) where my cousins took me to Ponmudi Hill station. It was a long and winding ride to the top of the hill station, en route we made several stops to see small waterfalls and other points along the way which acted as vantage points to the world below you. I was on the edge of my seat during some really bad curves along the road and it was all worth it when we reached the top as the sun was about to set and to see the red hue of the sunset behind the mountains was a sight that I would never forget.

I'm someone who is of little traditional religious belief and as someone who sees mother nature at its best at the top of a mountain or a hill want the world to change towards a more eco-friendly pace of technological advancement and as such wish that every human being should trek or visit a hill station at least once in their lifetime to really think about how our actions affect the world around us and how due to our neglect of the environment the generations ahead of us may not be able to experience the beauty of nature that we had the privilege to.

The above thought was implanted into me on one such trip to the mountains and as such i find mountains to be a safe space for me to reflect and connect with my inner self. It makes me want to be a better human being.